Draco's Gift
by Kaji
Summary: When Draco gives a family heirloom to his girlfriend, she is thrilled. It's off to Hogwarts for their final year, and one of the stangest yet...Chapter 6 uploaded!!! next one coming soon!!!
1. Chapter 1

Nothing Else Left  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Disclaimer-the characters in this story do not belong to me. They belong to JK Rowling. The Winter Carnival idea is mine, though. It was taken from a real event that we do every year at school.  
  
  
  
  
  
"I've missed you so much! I'm so sorry I couldn't come see you earlier, but my father wouldn't hear of it," Draco Malfoy smiled fondly at Hermione, and bent to embrace her. His spiked silver-blond hair shone brilliantly in the sunlight in Diagon Alley.  
  
As they broke apart, Hermione gazed up at him thoughtfully. He's changed so much over the summer. I like it, though, Hermione thought. She was right; Draco had changed quite a bit since she had last seen him. From what she remembered, his pale hair had been shoulder length and she had been looking him in the eye. Now, he was almost a foot taller, and she was looking at his chin. His hair was short and set into small spikes, tipped with glittery silver-blue. He was sporting an earring in his left ear. It was a silver skull, with glowing blue eyes. Although Hermione didn't really go for the whole jewelry thing on guys, she thought that the earring added power to Draco, and it made her feel good, like he could protect her, like she would be safer. Not that she was in any danger.  
  
"Come on. You want to go and get some ice cream? It'll be my treat," offered Draco, whispering softly in her ear, his arms wrapped around her.  
  
Hermione smiled and shook her head. "The last thing I need is to get fat before Winter Carnival this year." Hermione raised her head to meet his gaze and she smiled playfully, letting him know that she was just playing with him. Winter Carnival is the dance that takes place every winter break. It was a take-off of the Yule Ball that took place at Hogwarts three years ago when the Triwizard Tournament was going on.  
  
Draco well knew that she was playing, and he decided to tease her a bit himself. "Yeah, I guess you're right."  
  
"Hey!" Hermione wriggled out of Draco's grasp and slugged him affectionately in the arm. "You are coming this year, right?"  
  
"Of course." Draco laughed and pulled a little blue velvet box out of his pocket. "I have something for you. I hope you like it." He handed her the box.  
  
Hermione took the box, looked at it, then looked back up at Draco. "What is it?" she asked, not able to hide her curious smile.  
  
Draco smiled back. "Open it and find out." He nodded his head for her to go on.  
  
Hermione slowly opened the small box and gasped at the beautiful necklace lying on the soft velvet. She picked up the delicate silver chain and studied the tiny locket on the end. It was a little sun. "Oh, Draco, it gorgeous! I love it!" she stood up on tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek and then hugged him. "Thank you."  
  
Draco gently took the necklace from her and fastened it around her neck. It hung lightly in the hollow of her throat. Draco smiled as he looked at it proudly. "It has been in the family for years. My grandmother gave it to my mother. Her mother gave it to her before that, and so on. My mother gave it to me, being her only child. She told me to give it to a worthy woman. So I did." He said all of this while looking at the locket, but now he raised his gaze to meet Hermione's. "Nobody has been able to open that locket. Nobody knows where it came from, but it has become a family emblem. It suits you."  
  
"Oh, Draco, how can I thank you? This is so much more than I deserve." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a quill. "Here, I got this for you. Its doesn't compare to this" gesturing to the locket "but I hope it comes in handy anyway. It's a Smart Quill. It corrects any spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, and other things of the sort. I know you probably think it's typical of me to give you something like this, but hey, you know how bad your spelling is. It took you two weeks to learn how to spell my name right."  
  
Draco smirked, remembering her frustration when he wrote her notes and couldn't get her name spelled right. It was ridiculous how many different spellings he came up with. Hermonie. Hemorne. Hirmione. The combinations were endless. And the most pathetic part? They all had looked right to him. He took the quill from her and hugged her. "I know. It's great. You know I'll be using it a lot, and every time I do, I'll think of you."  
  
"Hey! Lovebirds! Over here! I'm on a mission for Ron to find you!" Hermione, startled, looked up to find George Weasley standing a few meters away. She looked up at Draco. "That's George. Where there's a Weasley, there are bound to be more. Let's go."  
  
Draco just shook his head. "How can you tell them apart?"  
  
"Oh, it's easy. Fred has a lower voice and he is always wearing the ring Angelina gave him for their one-year anniversary."  
  
Hermione and Draco caught up with the Weasleys and found that Harry was with them. Hermione hugged Harry and Ron each in turn, Harry returning it warmly, and Ron glaring over her shoulder jealously at Draco. She said hi to Fred and George, but they felt left out and wanted hugs too. Hermione obliged, rolling her eyes. Ginny accepted her hello.  
  
"I was hoping to meet up with you guys here." Harry grinned, noting Draco's arm protectively around Hermione's waist. "So, been making more plans to make my life miserable this year Malfoy?" he teased. Harry knew that this annoyed Draco, and Draco had apologized numerous times to both him and Ron. Harry forgave him, but still teased him about it. Ron had been less forgiving, but was just now on speaking terms with Draco.  
  
"Well, Potter, that depends. You going to give me any more grief over stupid things, then I will start planning right away. Otherwise you don't have much to worry about. Now Weasley on the other hand." he stopped and jerked his thumb at Ron. He winked at Harry.  
  
Ron scowled and Hermione saw his hands clench. She nudged Draco warningly. "Don't do that. You know how sensitive he is," she told him under her breath.  
  
"Oh yes. Poor sensitive Ronny." Draco continued to tease, but somehow, that last comment relaxed Ron a little bit. She saw his hands unclench and his shoulders go back to the usual slight slump.  
  
"Sure, Malfoy. You didn't seem all that tough with fur."  
  
The Weasley twins grinned at the reference to Draco being turned into a ferret by Mad-Eye Moody so many years ago. They still didn't let him off the hook for that.  
  
"Alright, alright. Come on you guys, let's go do something," Hermione said, not wanting to let Draco get mad for that last remark.  
  
"Ok, who's up for ice cream?" Harry said, smiling.  
  
"Oh no, Hermione will get fat." Hermione punched Draco on the arm. He put up his hands defensively. "Hey, that's what you told me!"  
  
Harry looked between the two of them, mildly confused. He shrugged it off. "Ooookk, then how about we just walk along and see what comes up?" he looked at everyone each in turn, waiting for a response in someone. Ron shrugged. A couple of "why not?" 's from the rest of the group and some more shrugs. Harry started away, Ron at his side. Ginny and Fred were right behind. George waited for Hermione and Draco and walked along with them.  
  
"So. How are you two?" he asked them.  
  
"We're fine, George. Say, why are you and Fred here? Don't you guys have to work?" Hermione knew that they had started their own joke shop a couple of years ago from Harry's winnings from the Triwizard tournament. They had been oh-so creative in their naming it, finally deciding on 'Fred and George's Jokes, Tricks, and Gags'. They had also decided to have the store in Diagon Alley, versus Hogsmeade.  
  
"We are working."  
  
"Wait, what? No, you're goofing around here."  
  
"No, we're working. Come on, I'll show you." George strode between the two, and took each by hooking an elbow in one of their own. He led them to a store close by. He opened the door and Hermione gasped. There she saw both Fred and George working, Fred at the register and George restocking. Then she turned to the George looking proudly upon the working duo. He looked down to see her looking at him questioningly, one eyebrow raised. "What are these?" she asked  
  
"You like them?" he asked, looking at her expectantly.  
  
"What are they?" Draco echoed Hermione's thought.  
  
"Well, it turns out that the Polyjuice potion doesn't work very well on animals. These two used to be our owls, Ned and Norge," Draco snorted at that, "well, we wanted a way to get away without losing any profit, so I made the potion and put it in their water with each a strand of our hair. That was a couple of weeks ago. They're a lot more handsome now, don't you think?" he grinned.  
  
Draco shook his head. "Figures."  
  
"I don't know what to do with you George. Come on, we should catch up to the group." Hermione opened up the door and gestured towards George. "After you."  
  
George bowed low. "My deepest gratitude, Mistress Granger." He straightened and strode out.  
  
Draco took Hermione by the hand and led her out after George. A few paces away, Draco pulled Hermione away from the main path. They ended up out behind Flourish and Blott's. It was completely deserted. Draco trapped Hermione against the wall. He had a wicked gleam in his eyes that Hermione didn't altogether like.  
  
"Draco? What are you." her question trailed off as he put a finger to her lips.  
  
"Don't talk. There's been something I've wanted to do since we met up with those losers." He grinned to take the sting away from his words.  
  
"And what would that be, if I may ask?"  
  
"This." Draco lowered his head to Hermione's, her eyes wide with surprise and pleasure. Their lips met and suddenly the world dissolved around her. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
The rest of the time they spent in Diagon Ally was uneventful. The students bought all the supplies needed for the school year and went to stay the night in the Leaky Cauldron. Ron and Harry shared a room. Draco had wanted to share a room with Hermione, but she had decided against it. She didn't want anything to happen that she would regret later. And so she and Ginny shared a room, and Draco got his own. It was the first year that Molly and Arthur Weasley had trusted Ron and Ginny to go get their stuff and get a room alone. They all went down to get some drinks once they were done packing. The next morning was September the First, and they were to get on the Hogwarts Express at Platform nine and three quarters, just like they do each and every year. Of course, except for Ginny, this was the last time that they would ever board the train on their way to school. For all of them, even Draco, this was a depressing thought. Each one of them made a vow to themselves to make this the best year they have ever had. They also faced the fact that after school, they would all go their separate ways, possibly never seeing each other again. Hermione knew they would never let that happen, and that every chance they could get; they would be spending it together.  
  
"I can't believe this is really our last year together at Hogwarts. It's so sad. I'm going to miss everyone, everything so much." Hermione sniffed and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.  
  
Draco's arms tightened around her. "We haven't even gotten to school yet and you're already thinking about leaving? Just keep you're mind on the fact that we have a whole 'nother year together. All of us," he added, smiling around at the rest of them. Ginny looked so sad.  
  
"What will I do? I don't really have any friends in my grade, they are all higher. They're all going to be gone, and I'll be left alone. I'll miss you guys." She sniffed too, then gave a watery smile. "I guess there'll always be Collin." Ginny had started to like Collin at around the same time Draco and Hermione got together. He liked her too, (who wouldn't? she was gorgeous) but he was kind of shy around her. Anyone who knew Ginny knew that she would wait for him, though.  
  
"So, is everybody packed? I was thinking that we could all get up early and walk around Diagon Alley, you know, kind of saying goodbye to it, maybe stopping to say bye to Fred and George. We could get ice cream for breakfast. We've never been able to do that with the Weasley's here," suggested Harry, grinning at Ron, who's mother had made sure each of them got a healthy and complete breakfast.  
  
All of them gave nods or a 'sure' in agreement. Ron gave a gigantic yawn. He looked at the clock, and seeing it said almost midnight, stood up. "I'm exhausted. I'll see you all in the morning. G'dnight." He yawned again, stretched and started up the staircase. Harry followed soon afterwards. Hermione looked up into Draco's tired eyes. "Well, I know it's hard for you, but I think I ought to get to bed too." She grinned.  
  
"Ok, I'll come too," Draco answered smoothly, setting Hermione, who had been sitting on his lap, on her feet.  
  
"I'm not sure if Ginny would like that."  
  
"Well, then come here for a second." He pulled her to him and kissed her lightly.  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes, chuckled softly and headed to her room.  
  
"I'll be right there!" Hermione called after her.  
  
"So, you getting used to my friends yet?" Hermione asked, knowing that six years of severe distaste was hard to get rid of in a few weeks.  
  
"I guess they're ok once you get to know them better. Not that I'd ever let them know that. Of course, they're nothing compared to you."  
  
"Ha. Well, I should get going. Long day ahead of us tomorrow. You going to sit with us on the train?" Hermione thought that he might like to spend some time with Crabbe and Goyle, but since they've been staying back for the past two years, she doubted it. He didn't like the fact that they were so stupid. Not to mention that they weren't really friends to begin with. But that's a different story.  
  
Draco nodded, sighing. "I guess I should. Maybe they've learned something useful over the summer. Not to mention I don't want them telling their fathers about me hanging around a muggle, forget going out with one. They would go straight to Father, no doubt about it. Just for the train ride, though. And lunch, breakfast and supper. No choice there, we have to stay with our houses. I'll be with you every moment I can, though, mark my words."  
  
They kissed once more before going to their rooms. When Hermione got there, Ginny was already fast asleep. Hermione was exhausted. She didn't even change her clothes for sleeping, never mind remembering to take off the small locket.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hermione? Wake up. We're going to be leaving in a few minutes to say goodbye to Fred and George." Ginny's soft voice barely even penetrated Hermione's subconscious, forget waking her up.  
  
"Hermione." poke "Hermione." poke poke POKE "HERMIONE!"  
  
"Huh? What do you want?" Hermione opened her eyes weakly to see Ginny standing over her, a totally innocent look on her face.  
  
"What? Oh, sonce you're up, you should know that we're leaving in ten minutes to say goodbye and good riddance to Fred and George.and Ned and Norge for that matter." She smiled sweetly and skipped out of the room. Hermione listened to her footsteps descend the stairs before she moved. She stretched, sat up, and then collapsed back onto the bed. There was no way she was getting up any time soon. Then Draco walked in.  
  
All of a sudden, Hermione was fully awake. She could see and hear everything as clearly as ever. Her mind was fresh and sharp, and a wave of loving respect flooded to Draco.  
  
Draco smiled. "Up? Ginny said it might be a while, but you look awake to me."  
  
"Well, I wasn't a few seconds ago. It was weird. You walked in, and I woke up."  
  
"Huh, must be the new cologne. I bought it last week. Like it?" Draco pulled out a bottle and sprayed her a few times.  
  
"Ehhhhh, stop it, I can't breathe with that stuff in my face." She waved a hand in front of her face, clearing it as much as possible. "Well, now that I can smell it properly, yes, I do like it. But now I'm going to smell like it all day."  
  
"Maybe some girls will like it. That wouldn't be so bad."  
  
Hermione punched him in the arm. "Typical guy. What is the fetish with lesbians?"  
  
"What fetish? There is no fetish. I just wouldn't mind having a couple extra girls around." Draco batted his eyes innocently at her. "Oh look! There go some now!"  
  
"Yeah, right. You want me to fall for that 'made you look' stuff? I'm not that gullible, or that immature." When Hermione turned to grin at him to let him know she was playing, she caught a glimpse out the window of two young female witches making out. "Ewww, ok, so you were right. Leave me alone." She pushed him out the door so that she could get dressed and ready to go. Once he was gone, all it took was a wave of her hand and she was in her robes. She knew that it didn't matter if Draco was in the room; nothing showed when she got dressed like that. But somehow, it seemed wrong. Hermione had learned a lot from Hogwarts. She couldn't wait to get on the train so she could start practicing her changing.  
  
Ever since her fourth year, when she had learned about Sirius being Animagus, along with several other people, Hermione had wanted to be one too. She had received permission from Professor McGonnegal, Professor Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic to become one. She had chosen to be a falcon. She wasn't at all sure why. It just seemed to have grace, speed, agility and power, all wrapped up into a compact, beautiful body. She was a deadly hunter.  
  
Naturally, Harry and Ron wanted in too, so they tried to get permission. Of course they were denied, and of course they did it on their own. Harry already had it down perfect, even better than Hermione did. Harry chose to be a male deer, a buck. When he transformed, he was beautiful. The antlers were gigantic; they looked too heavy to keep his head up. He carried his weight as if it was nothing, and he moved easily. Harry had wanted to become as close to the animal as his father, and he wanted to be the buck as soon as the option came up.  
  
Ron, on the other hand, was lucky if he could get fur, never mind fully transform. He had chosen the arctic fox, being small, fast and agile, he figured it might come in handy. So far, he had managed to get a tail and the fur. He was coming along, though.  
  
Draco didn't know they were all becoming Animagus, and no one was planning on informing him of it either, for safety reasons. Even Hermione had to go along with this, even though she would trust Draco with her life.  
  
When Hermione was all done, she went downstairs to meet the others. They all said good morning and soon set off.  
  
First, they all went to get ice cream for breakfast. Harry paid for it, manly because he had the most money out of all of them. Afterwards, they headed off to say goodbye to Fred and George. Surprisingly, they were actually working instead of their owls. Hermione still thought that to be a little weird, but hey, that right there perfectly describes the Weasley twins. They aren't the most "normal" people you could meet. Then again, Hermione remembered that for the past six years she wasn't exactly normal either. After all, she was a trained and talented witch.  
  
"Hey Fred, George." Hermione and the others greeted the twins as they strode purposefully into the store.  
  
"Hey, I was wondering when you guys would pop in to say goodbye. Any of you going to visit us during the holidays?" answered George, sporting a gigantic smile.  
  
"I don't know yet," Ron looked curiously at the two grinning brothers. "Why are you so happy?"  
  
"Oh, come on Ron. You know the answer. "Fred winked at the rest of the group, then looked back to Ron. "You'll finally be out of our hair for a while. I can't say it'll be long enough, though. Either way, it's better than nothing."  
  
Ron grinned, but his eyes clouded over. When Fred saw this, he walked over and ruffled his little brother's hair. "Come on, you know I'm kidding. Besides, everyone knows this is the biggest day of the year for joke shops. All the kids putting in some last-minute prank shopping before school starts. Setting off a dung-bomb in the school hallway is the perfect way to make a first-impression on all the teachers!"  
  
"Well, that's what we thought, anyway," George added thoughtfully, reminiscing the memory of their first day of school at Hogwarts that seemed so long ago. Even though it was eight years ago, both the twins could still remember it perfectly. Ron hadn't been in school yet, back then, and Fred and George were by no means intimidated by the huge school and powerful teachers. Just as they walked into the school and stood waiting for the faculty to set up the sorting ceremony, Fred took out a dung-bomb and set it off right in the middle of the first-year students. They both thought it was hilarious, but it turned out that Professor McGonnegal didn't think so. They had both been landed with a week's detention. Thankfully, no points were taken from Gryffindor, seeing as they had not been sorted into houses yet at the time.  
  
They all talked for a few minutes, until Ginny glanced at the clock and realized they only had fifteen minutes to get their stuff from the Leaky Cauldron and get to Platform 9 ¾. They all ran, got their stuff, and wheeled it as fast as was possible to the crowded train station. Even running at full speed, they just barely made it onto the train. They boarded the train, all exhausted, except for Hermione. Amazingly, she felt fine. She wasn't even breathing hard, considering she had just sprinted almost a mile. 'Weird,' she thought. 'I could barely run down a hallway without getting tired.'  
  
Draco kissed Hermione lightly on the forehead. "I'll see you when we get to Hogwarts."  
  
"Okay." He left and Ginny went off in search of Collin. Hermione, Harry, and Ron took their usual compartment in the very back. Harry and Ron were both still breathing hard from their run. Ron looked up and saw Hermione standing there, looking at them, a strange expression crossing her face.  
  
"Hermione, you're amazing. You're not breathing hard or anything. You're not even sweating!" Ron's mouth was open in jealousy. Harry laughed bitterly, then coughed from lack of air.  
  
"I know, I don't understand it. I've never been a." Hermione stopped as a sudden wave of fatigue swept over her. She didn't know what was going on. Abruptly, she was too tired to even keep her eyes open. The last thing she saw was the floor rushing up to meet her. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Hermione's eyes snapped open.  
  
"Wha.what? What's going on?" She was wide-awake, and all her senses told her that something was wrong. She had no idea what was going on. She saw Draco sitting next to her, holding her hand, a worried expression on his face. She saw Harry and Ron nearby, standing as they heard her speak. She realized that she was in the hospital wing of the school.  
  
"Oh, thank God. Hermione I've been so worried. Madame Pomfrey couldn't find anything wrong with you. She said that you were just sleeping, but she didn't know why you were sleeping in the first place. I was so afraid that something worse had happened. There are so many spells and poisons." Draco slowed his babble to look at her, eyes wide with relief and lingering concern.  
  
Hermione smiled up at him, reassuring him that she was fine. Madame Pomfrey bustled over, handing her a large chunk of chocolate. "Eat."  
  
She nibbled at the corner of the chunk.  
  
"Hermione, what happened?" Ron looked at her, his concern painfully obvious on his face. 'He cares about me so much,' Hermione thought. She had always known that Ron cared for her, liked her more than as just a friend. She had known it for years, but neither of them had done anything about it. Hermione just didn't feel for Ron the same way he felt for her. She hated herself for it, seeing how much it hurt him. Still, there was nothing she could do.  
  
"I don't know. I was fine, and then I wasn't. You probably know more than I do."  
  
"You just kind of collapsed. It didn't look like you were in pain or anything like that. Ron went to go get a teacher right away. He told Malfoy what had happened, so he rushed to our compartment. Professor Sprout was the closest teacher around, so she came and check out what had happened. We moved you onto one of the seats and you haven't opened your eyes or moved until now," Harry explained. He, at least, seemed reassured that she was okay. He would know, seeing as he was the most accident-prone student in the school, with the possible exception of Neville Longbottom. Just two years ago Harry had been trampled and severely hurt by a horse. He was at a muggle camp for the summer, mainly because the Dursley's couldn't take another summer with him. He had been taking horseback riding lessons, when the horse bucked, threw Harry off, and then backed up over him. He had ended up with a broken arm, two broken ribs and a broken leg, along with a concussion. He completely healed by now, but it was scary to have Hedwig sending her a letter saying that he was in the muggle hospital.  
  
Hermione sat up. Draco, startled at her abrupt movement, attempted to push her back down. She pushed away his hands gently. "I'm okay, really. I don't know what happened, but I'm fine now." Madame Pomfrey didn't take this too well, but after debating it for several minutes, she was allowed to leave as long as she returned for a check-up first thing in the morning.  
  
As they all walked out into the hall, Draco stopped her. He bent down and kissed her deeply. 'This is exactly what I need,' thought Hermione. She closed her eyes.  
  
"Malfoy! What are you doing to her?!" Ron's alarmed shout broke them apart. Draco, his eyes blazing with anger, spun around.  
  
"What does it look like? I was trying to kiss her! Can't anyone get any pri." Draco stopped mid-sentence to stare at Hermione.  
  
"What? What are you staring at?" Hermione was annoyed. She didn't know what was wrong with them, but they had better snap out of it soon, before she slapped them.  
  
"Uh, Hermione? You're.red." Harry's eyes were just as wide as the other two.  
  
"What? What do you mean? Of course I'm blushing! You just saw us making out!"  
  
"No, I mean you're red." Harry knew he probably wasn't being much of a help, but that was all he could get out.  
  
Hermione heard footsteps behind her. A voice soon followed. "What are you doing in the hall? Shouldn't you all be at the feast? You missed the Sorting, but there is plenty food." Professor McGonnegal's sharp voice almost reassured Hermione. Maybe she'll know what's wrong. Hermione turned around.  
  
The Professor gasped. "Good heavens, Miss Granger! What is wrong with you're skin?! You know magic isn't allowed in the halls!"  
  
"Magic?" Hermione finally had the sense to look down at her hands. Hermione's mouth dropped open when she saw them. They were red! Hermione started to scream hysterically.  
  
Immediately Draco runs over and takes Hermione's head in his hands. "Shhhhh...shhh.it's ok.it's bound to wear off.ssshhh." Even as he spoke, they all watched as Hermione's skin returned to normal. When she finally calmed down, Draco stepped away from her. Professor McGonnegal stepped forward to handle the situation.  
  
"Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy, Mister Potter and Mister Weasley. I would greatly appreciate an explanation."  
  
Hermione was still too shaken up to answer, so Harry stepped up. "I don't exactly know, Professor. I don't believe that Malfoy here did anything to Hermione, and Ron and me certainly didn't. I don't know what happened, but Hermione seems to be alright now. If you would, could you please let us go to the feast? I reckon I can feel my stomach eating itself." Harry looked hopefully at Professor McGonnegal.  
  
The Professor sighed. "Very well Mister Potter. Miss Granger, are you all right now?"  
  
Shakily, Hermione nodded.  
  
"Okay, then, there isn't much I can do. Off you go." Professor McGonnegal headed off, leaving the student alone in the corridor.  
  
Draco walked to the feast with his arm around Hermione. He leaned in and spoke softly in her ear so that Ron and Harry couldn't hear. "Are you sure you're alright? What happened? That's the second time today you've nearly scared me to death."  
  
Hermione smiled weakly at him, grateful for the strong arm about her. She felt fine, as though nothing had happened physically, but the truth was, she was still thoroughly shaken. Nothing like that had ever happened to her, but the thing that had really scared her was the fact that she had never read or heard about anything like that happening to anyone. "I think I'm ok. I'm starving, though." She saw the doubt in his eyes, and smiled more confidently. She took his face in both of her hands. "I'll be fine. Really. Don't worry, all I need now is some food. Go. Eat something, you look dead on your feet."  
  
Draco, still not reassured, gave in reluctantly. "Alright, but don't get too fat." He headed off towards the Slytherin table, where there was an empty seat waiting for him. Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
She waited up for Harry and Ron, then headed for the three seats saved for them. Ginny and Collin looked up as they approached. They were sitting next to each other, exchanging news from the summer. "Hi Harry," came Collin's usual greeting. "What took you guys so long?"  
  
Hermione, not wanting to have to explain it, left that up to Harry and Ron. She piled up her plate with delicious food. When she was done eating, she said goodnight to the table, and retired to the Gryffindor tower. She went up to her dorm to find all her stuff sitting contently on the floor, as usual. She collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep immediately. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
Nothing really unusual happened over the following weeks school. Classes came and went as they always did, and as always, Hermione reached top marks in every subject. Quidditch season started and Harry, who was the captain of the team, and them practicing three times a week. Harry was still the seeker. Seamus was Keeper. Ginny and two third-years, Kori and Olivia, were the Chasers. The Beaters were, coincidently, two twins named Cliffe and Thorne. The team was excellent, probably the best in the school, although Slytherin was always a tough match.  
  
Two years ago, a new rule was issued for Quidditch. It was ruled unfair for teams to have different broom makes, so all players on each team had the same broom model bought by the school. The school was fairly wealthy, so the teams always had the best and newest model at the start of each season. This year, the new model was the Lightspeed 300, a major breakthrough in the broom business. The broom was the fastest one ever made, able to reach speeds of up to 150 mph (although that wasn't advised) in less than ten seconds. It had the ability to change directions on a dime without losing speed. What's more is that it had a built in radar and compass. Of course, the Golden Snitch was blocked from radar, for sake of a decent game, but you were able to see other players, Bludgers, and the Quaffle.  
  
On the morning of the first Quidditch match, Hermione woke up to find herself feeling a bit under the weather. Truthfully, that was a huge understatement, but that's what she told Harry and Ron at the breakfast table. The truth was, every movement that she made caused a sharp headache. If she moved to fast, she got dizzy and slightly nauseous. She felt as if every muscle in her body weighed thousand pounds. Several times, she had to lean against a wall for support.  
  
On her way to the Quidditch field with Ron (Harry was already down there getting ready), she stumbled and nearly fell as a fresh wave of dizziness hit her. Ron grabbed her arm to steady her, a concerned look coming to his face. "Hermione? Maybe you should go to the hospital wing. You really don't look very good."  
  
Hermione shut her eyes tightly against the pain of a new headache, then opened them to look at Ron. "No, I'm fine. Besides, there's no way I'm going to miss Harry's first game." She started to walk again. Ron shook his head, but didn't make a move to stop her. After all, he would've said the same thing.  
  
Hermione searched the stands, finally spotting Draco gesturing to them. She and Ron made their way through the students, muttering "sorry" 's and "pardon me" 's as they clumsily stepped on robes and accidentally elbowed people. Hermione found that she could now walk straight, and her strides were getting stronger. She still didn't feel perfect, but she had hopes of getting better before the day ended. She poked Ron. "See? I feel better already."  
  
Ron sighed, but nodded. As they reached Draco, he moved aside to make room for them. Hermione sat beside her boyfriend, and he kissed her temple, breathing in the scent of her hair. "How are you feeling?"  
  
Hermione considered the simple question. "Fine," she answered truthfully, surprising herself. Just a few minutes ago, she couldn't even walk without support. Now her head was as clear as ever. She cast her thoughts aside as Ron pointed down to the field. Hermione's gaze followed his hand, and she saw that the teams were entering the field. The match was to be Gryffindor versus Slytherin. The sky was bright and there wasn't a single cloud to be seen. It was the perfect day for Quidditch. Draco had quit the Quidditch team after his first year. He knew that there were much better Seekers than him in the school, and he had been right. A second year student had replaced him. Draco had been amused when Crabbe and Goyle had joined the team as the Beaters.  
  
The Gryffindors looked magnificent in their red robes, their hair shining in the sunlight. They met the Slytherin team, clad in dark green, halfway across the field. They shook hands, as was custom. Madame Hooch, who was refereeing this match, let loose the Snitch and the Bludgers. Not having much time before the Bludgers shoot off towards a victim, all the players hovered in the air above her. She blew her whistle and threw the Quaffle straight up. The match began.  
  
Hermione watched intently, cheering on Thorne when he knocked a Bludger towards one of the Slytherin Chasers. Draco still rooted for his team, besides the fact that Hermione was his girlfriend. This was one agreement that they had together. Draco groaned when Ginny scored ten points for Gryffindor and Ron clapped wildly. Hermione gasped when she saw Harry rise upwards rapidly, a speeding red blur, towards a barley visible golden speck. Then, in seconds, the match was over. Gryffindor won, 160 to 0. It was the fastest game that Hermione had ever seen. She was almost disappointed until she realized that this meant she had the rest of the day free. She glanced at Draco to see him looking at her, that familiar smirk on his face. Hermione raised her eyebrows suggestively. Draco's face lit with surprise. Hermione was rarely ever the one to make a move. Hermione, seeing his face, stood up teasingly, walking over to congratulate Harry on his win. * * * Ron and Harry had both retired to the Gryffindor common room after the game to play wizards chess. Hermione and Draco were left alone to decide what to do. Not that there was much to decide.  
  
Draco took Hermione's hand and led her off towards the Quidditch field again.  
  
"Where are we going? We just came from there."  
  
"I have a place that I've never shown to anyone else. Come on, it's not far." He led her out past the field. There was a small pond that she had never noticed before. Draco pointed to a door in the ground next to the pond. He bent down and opened it. There were steps leading down into darkness. By the door, a few steps down, Hermione saw two torches. Draco took them and gave one to Hermione. He gave a quick wave of his hand and they both lit. He took her hand again. "Come on. It's ok, I come here a lot when I need to be alone. Wait until you see it."  
  
Hermione let herself be guided, keeping her torch away from her body. When they reached the bottom, she saw a tunnel, maybe twenty feet long in front of her. Draco led the way down the tunnel, but stopped just before they reached a turn.  
  
"Close your eyes." Hermione obeyed, curious as to what she was about to see. She trusted Draco completely. He took her by the hand once again, and led her around the corner. They walked along for a few moments before Draco stopped. "Look."  
  
Hermione opened her eyes, then gasped. It was beautiful. They were in a gigantic sparkling cavern. The walls were every color in the rainbow. There were stalagmites and stalactites everywhere, every single one of them shining from the light of their torches. Hermione turned to Draco, who was watching her with a pleased smile crossing his face as he took in her reaction. "It's gorgeous. How did you find it?"  
  
Draco chuckled softly. "Potter isn't the only one who snuck away late at night to do some exploring. I found this place in my fourth year, just before the final task of the Triwizard tournament. I was moping around the grounds, thinking how I should have been picked instead of Potter, when I found myself beside the pond. I had never seen it before, so I started walking around it, and I found the door. Well, naturally, I had to see what was down there, and I ended up here. I'm glad you like it."  
  
"I do." Hermione turned back to take in the cavern again. She put down her torch gently, careful not to extinguish the flame. She sensed Draco doing the same. Anxious to explore, Hermione started to walk towards a particularly large crystal close to the middle of the cavern. Draco stayed in step slightly behind her.  
  
As she got closer to the crystal, she saw that it was glowing softly. 'Is that normal?' she thought. She wasn't sure if there were certain crystals that could produce their own light. It was light pink in color, the shade of the end of a sunset. As she approached, she felt a warm spot in the hollow of her throat. At first, she ignored it, assuming it was a reaction to her excitement. As she got closer, though, the spot grew to take in her entire throat. Soon it started to hurt, growing painfully hot. She could feel her skin start to burn, the smell of burnt flesh acrid in her nose. She whirled around to face Draco. She reached up a hand to touch her neck. She instantly snapped it back, the tips of her fingers throbbing from where they touched the locket.  
  
Draco, seeing this, stepped forward to help.  
  
"Help…it hurts…" Hermione's pained voice shot through Draco's heart as if someone had shot him. He hurried to her side. He grabbed the locket in one of his hands and ripped it from her throat. He threw it ferociously in back of him, not bothering to look where it landed. Draco took Hermione's shoulders and pulled her into an embrace.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked. When she didn't respond immediately, he stepped back to look at her.  
  
She put her hands up to her throat, touching the spot where the necklace had burned her. He moved her hands away from the wound so that he could see how bad it was. His eyes narrowed as he saw that both the locket and the chain it had been on burned their shapes into her skin. There was a delicate red burn all around her neck, and sitting in the hollow, as though still there, was the shape of the tiny sun. Draco traced a slim finger along the burn, quickly pulling it away when he saw Hermione wince in pain.  
  
"I think I'm ok. Hopefully it won't scar. Why do you think it burned me like that?" She faked a smile for his sake. She knew he didn't buy it, but she hoped it offered some comfort just the same.  
  
"I don't know. I don't know what's been going on this year. Let's just get out of here." He led her back, not bothering to pick up the locket. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
When Hermione convinced Draco that she didn't need to go see Madame Pomfrey, they said goodbye and headed off towards their own houses. Hermione approached the Fat Lady guarding the Gryffindor dorms. When greeted her and said the password-doobobble (who comes up with these?), she found Harry and Ron playing wizards chess.  
  
"Hey Hermione," greeted Ron, not bothering to look up from their game.  
  
Harry rattled off some move and then looked up at Hermione. His eyes narrowed briefly. "What happened? Your neck is bleeding."  
  
Hermione, startled, reached up and felt something warm and sticky leaving a trail on the side of her neck. Must have cut when Draco pulled off the necklace, she thought. "Oh, it's probably nothing," she replied, not wanting to get into what happened at the moment.  
  
"But there's a red mark all around your neck," Harry insisted. He narrowed his eyes once again into menacing slits. "Did Malfoy do something to you? Tell us what happened."  
  
Both Harry and Ron still didn't totally trust Draco, even after all this time. Hermione guessed it was instinct. After all, Draco's father is a death eater, and some of that could rub off on his son. Hermione knew better though, but she didn't blame Harry for being suspicious. "No, Draco didn't do anything except help me out. The necklace he gave me started to burn and I couldn't get it off, so he did it for me, so to speak. I'm fine."  
  
"Wait, what? Why was you're necklace burning? Was it hexed?" Ron face didn't show it, but Hermione knew he thought that Draco might have put a spell on the necklace before he gave t to her.  
  
"I don't think so. Don't worry about me, I'm fine, go back to your game. I have some work I need to catch up on." Harry raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask any more questions. Ron shrugged and turned his gaze back to the game. Hermione made her way up to her dorm. There was no one there, which Hermione was grateful for. Hermione sat down on her bed and gently touched where she had been burned only minutes before. It still throbbed, but the pain was receding. She looked at her clock. Six fifteen. Dinner in the Great Hall would be soon, but at the moment, Hermione didn't feel up to it. She was exhausted and had a lot to think about. Maybe I should take a nap, she thought. She lay her head down on the pillow and, thinking about the necklace, drifted off into a dreamless sleep  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione awoke the next morning several minutes late for breakfast. Hurriedly, she got out of yesterdays clothes and changed into clean robes. She had just started to gather her books for her first class, Care of Magical Creatures, when she noticed that her throat no longer hurt. She walked over the mirror on one of the walls. As soon as she saw her reflection, she screamed. 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I know this is a short chapter! But bear with me, I just didn't want to leave you hanging for too long. The next chapter should be up very soon!  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Panicking, Hermione ran down to the main hall where the other students were finishing their breakfast.  
  
Draco looked up, sensing Hermione coming. Her eyes had a wild look to them. He turned to the second year sitting next to him and told him to move. Hermione instantly sat down in his place, not caring if Draco was being rude.  
  
Draco took her hands in his and looked at her intently. "What's wrong? What's the matter?"  
  
"What happened yesterday, in the cavern, it happened right? I'm not going insane?" Her eyes now had a pleading look to them.  
  
"Hermione, calm down. Of course you're not going insane, although I wish yesterday never happened. Why would you think that?" Draco was confused and mildly alarmed by Hermione's unexpected questions.  
  
"Then how do you explain this?" Hermione moved the neck of her robe's aside, revealing the silver chain of an extremely familiar necklace.  
  
"Did you go back for it?" Hermione shook her head. "How did it get on you?"  
  
Now Hermione was nearing hysterical. "I don't know!!" Several people turned around to look at her. "And look!! There aren't any burn scars! They're gone! What does this mean?!"  
  
"SShhhh, calm down, we can't figure this out with you in this state. Here, let me try to get it off." Draco cautiously stretched his fingers towards the clasp of the necklace, which was halfway down her neck. As soon as he touched it, a sharp jolt of electricity ran through his arm, leaving it numb. "Ouch." He tried to wriggle his fingers, but found that he couldn't. Uh oh.  
  
"Draco? What happened?"  
  
"It zapped me. I can't feel my fingers. Hermione, you should go and tell Potter and Weasley what's going on while I have Madame Pomfrey check out my arm. I'll be back soon, and we'll find out what that thing is doing back. I'm so sorry I gave it to you in the first place. It's my fault." Draco stood and kissed Hermione on the forehead. "It'll be fine," he whispered.  
  
Hermione watched as he left, then stood and headed to the Gryffindor table.  
  
Harry had been watching the whole deal between her and Draco, and although he hadn't been able to hear the conversation, he caught the urgency of it. Hermione walked over and sat down in her usual seat. She tapped Ron on the arm to get his attention. "I need to tell you guys something. You know the necklace that Draco gave me?" She motioned towards it hanging about her neck as if it had never moved. Both boys nodded. Hermione proceeded to tell them what had happened yesterday after the Quidditch match.  
  
When she was done, Harry looked thoughtful. "Do you think this has anything to do with what happened on the train?"  
  
Hermione was surprised, not at the actual question, but at the fact that she hadn't thought of that first. "I don't know. I never really connected the two, but maybe. Hmmm, how much time is left for breakfast?" Not bothering to wait for an answer, she rushed on. "I'm going to look something up in the library. Anyone wanna come?" Ron shook his head, reluctantly saying he had to do the Care of Magical Creatures homework that he hadn't done last night. Harry, on the other hand, wanted to know what was going on with this whole deal. It was amazing how fast Hermione could calm down.  
  
* * *  
  
Both Hermione and Harry had no luck looking up spells that could do something similar to what had happened to Hermione, but then again, they had all of ten minutes before they had to head to their first class.  
  
When they got down to where Hagrid's hut was for the class, Hermione searched for Draco, wondering if his arm got better. When she spotted him, she parted from Harry and went to him.  
  
"Is your arm okay?"  
  
"Yeah. She said that circulation had completely stopped in it, but that I had gotten there in time so that there was no permanent damage. She fixed it right away. Weasley told me that you and Potter went to the library. So? Any luck?" His expression was anxious. She knew he was worried about her, and she felt a pang in her heart when she thought about the stress she must be causing him. She felt a rush of love and admiration towards him, and she leaned on him affectionately.  
  
"No. But we only had a few minutes. There has to be something on a spell or hex that's making this happen."  
  
"Yeah, well, if anything ever happens, anything at all, let me know."  
  
All through the lesson, they held hands. 


End file.
